Head Coach Paul PasqualoniOpening Statement:“Coming into this game we were excited and proud of the team, they fought back from a month ago, three or four weeks ago. We put together a few pretty good weeks, played some tough opponents, I thought played pretty hard, played pretty well. Gave us a chance to have a great game, meaningful game here tonight. Obviously this was a game of big plays, and Cincinnati made some big plays, and we didn’t make as many big plays, we made a couple. Give them credit, they made plays that they had to make at the end, and deserved to win the game. But we’re proud of our guys. I think this senior group was a very good senior group, tremendously loyal to the University of Connecticut and the football program. They are a great group of kids, they really are. I think their leadership allowed us to be here tonight and have this game and try to get to a bowl game. We wish we could’ve done a little more, and really wished that could’ve worked out for us, but it didn’t. That doesn’t diminish the fact that we’re proud of the kids.”

Paul, do you think this team should have won more games this year, just with the talent?“Well John, we have in the past two years. There were, a few games where a touchdown or less decided the game, and we had a few of those games this year. A little thing here, a turnover here, a field position there, a missed kick here; so my outlook on it is that you are out there every game to play. It is always hard on tough games to accept them. I always feel like we should have won that game, and I think the kids on the team feel that way too. There are games where we certainly coulda, shoulda, woulda but we are capable there is no question about that.”

RS-Senior Defensive Tackle Ryan WirthOn His Reaction to the season coming to an end:“Right now, I am just trying to cherish the moment obviously now that my season is done. I have had the pleasure of playing under Coach Pasqualoni and with all my teammates and wouldn’t trade that for anything in the world. Of course, I wish the season turned out a little better and I wish all of them the best as they move forward.”

On the team’s reaction in the locker room after the game“It was emotional. For the seniors and for the rest of the team, we all wanted another game as you can expect.”

On his reflection for playing football at the University of Connecticut:“As this point, I just think I am grateful of having the experience that I had playing for Coach Pasqualoni, learning techniques. Again, I was just thankful to have had this opportunity.”

Freshman Kicker Bobby PuyolOn when he received word on his kicking duties for tonight’s game:“I wasn’t sure until game time what my kicking duties were going to be until game time. I sort of knew On Thursday I would do at least kick-offs. It was a shame that Chad (Christen) couldn’t kick because he couldn’t kick off but I had to just step in and fill what he could do.”

On the game time weather situations and how it affected his kicking game:“You had no idea how cold it was out there today. Every time I had a chance to sit on the bench to warm up I did. The coldest game I had ever kicked (prior to tonight’s game) it was playing in Tampa and it was about 45 degrees.”

RS-Sophomore Wide Receiver Shakim PhillipsOn the emotion of the Huskies locker room after the game:“It is very difficult right now in that locker room. I have had the chances to play with these outgoing seniors for two years and how difficult it is to see them going. It is a situation that happens every year. We have to start preparing for next year now for next year’s seniors in the hopes of being a better team.”

On the refection of the entire season:“We made some progress, it’s just we have to win more games. The record didn’t reflect on how we played this season. It boils down to just having to win more games in the end”

Cincinnati Quotes:

Head Coach Butch JonesOpening Statement:“This was a hard fought football game. I’m extremely proud of everybody in our football family, from our seniors, to all of our players, to our coaches, to our support staff. I’ve said it and I’ll continue to say it. This is one of the greatest stories in Cincinnati and in our 125 years of playing college football at the University of Cincinnati. … Our players kept believing, they never wavered, and that’s why you keep playing. To be sitting here in front of you as Big East Champions, I don’t care if it’s a share, it’s a championship and these individuals have put in so much effort.”

On the chemistry between QB Brandon Kay and TE Travis Kelce:“A receiver paints a picture for a quarterback. As a quarterback you have to have great anticipation and read their body language, and [Kay] reads Travis’s body language really well. He put the ball in places where only Travis could make a play on it. Travis Kelce is one of the best athletes we have on this football team.”

On the strategy coming into the game:“They’re a really good defense, they do a great job and they’re physical. They’re corners are really good and we just felt we needed to throw the football a little bit more.”

TE Travis KelceOn his thrown touchdown pass:“We’ve been practicing that play for God knows how long, so we were able to connect on it pretty well. It feels good scoring no matter if I’m running, blocking, throwing, or catching.”